Disclaimer: What I said in Chapter 1.
A/N: Thanks so much to the people who reviewed! I added personal thingies this time. If you want something better, tell me. (shrugs) Sorry if you don¡¦t like it.
Ginelle ¡V You were my first reviewer, go you!
Grace ¡V I read one of your other reviews¡K I think you were the one¡K Are you K/N too? PLEEZ SAY YES!!! We need more Kel and Neal people in this world!!!
Katie ¡V I love Tamora Pierce too!!!!!
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Tropicalfrost86 ¡V You know your story, Whispers of the Heart? IS IT K/N IS IT K/N IS IT K/N IS IT K/N IS IT K/N IS IT K/N??????? I LOVE K/N STORIES!!!!!!!
Larzdinn
¡V Hey, thanks for your suggestion, trying not to make her sound pompous here.
And also¡K (screams with ecstasy) I LOVE K/N stories!!! You rock!!! They are the
BEST!
DaniShea ¡V Thanks a lot!! I LOVE TAMORA PIERCE!!!!! She is my fave
author!!!
Thanks to you all! As for the rest of you¡K why haven¡¦t you been reviewing? Wouldn¡¦t you rather be a cool reviewer and have your name on my list of thanks than a Jacuzzi person who read this but is taking it for granted and didn¡¦t review? Write a fanfic. Then you¡¦ll understand what it means to the author when someone reviews. You feel pride, joy, encouragement¡K I won¡¦t go on. I think it¡¦s about time for the story, don¡¦t you?
I sat up unwillingly. My body system was not working yet. Bright lights shone in my eyes, blinding me momentarily. When I realized what it was, I collapsed back into bed. ¡§Jade¡K¡¨ I muttered.
She had turned on every lamp there was (A/N: Oil lamps? What exactly did Tortallans use to obtain light? If anyone knows, please tell me at serena@nycap.rr.com, or just review), lit every candle, and opened every window. Light flared or streamed into the room. I had to pull my covers up over my head to calm my dazed eyes.
¡§Oh, so we¡¦re on speaking terms now, are we?¡¨ Jade asked, every word dripping with sarcasm.
¡§Jade, you¡¦re making a big deal over nothing.¡¨
¡§Am I?¡¨ She strode out of the room huffily.
I washed and got dressed. As I stared at my haircut in the mirror, I thought about Jade. Should I apologize? For what? I asked myself. I didn¡¦t do anything wrong, it¡¦s Jade that¡¦s being mean. If I apologized now, she would think that she could do anything and everything, push me around, force me to do things. A knight can¡¦t be weak, I told myself. It will get him and the people he¡¦s leading into trouble. Or she¡¦s leading, I corrected stubbornly. Knights were no longer just men.
I strolled to the mess, and saw Jeremy and Jade. Getting my breakfast, I went over to them, but paused, unsure of whom to sit next to. Jeremy solved the problem for me and scooted over, leaving me a space to sit. I grinned at him, and seated myself. If Jade noticed, she didn¡¦t show it.
¡§Do any of you know where I can find Kylaia?¡¨ I asked. Jade ignored me, but Jeremy suggested a couple of places for me to look.
¡§Try the training rooms, practice courts, her chambers maybe,¡¨ he recommended. ¡§Or ask someone else that knows better.¡¨
I thanked him and left on my search. I finally found the Unicorn stretching on a mat in one of the warm-up rooms. ¡§Kylaia?¡¨ I asked timidly.
She looked up and smiled warmly. ¡§Ariel! What brings you here?¡¨
¡§I was wondering if you could show me how to fight properly. I don¡¦t think they¡¦ll accept me as a page with my combating skills right now.¡¨ I gave her a lopsided grin.
¡§Everyone learns,¡¨ she assured. ¡§We can start right now. First, you¡¦ll need to do some stretching and exercises¡K¡¨
* * *
I groaned. Every muscle in my body ached, unused to the strain.
¡§Oh, come on. You¡¦ve got to get used to this sometime!¡¨ Kylaia taunted. ¡§If you¡¦re going to be a knight, act like one!¡¨
I staggered to my feet, sore after an hour of practicing. ¡§It was only an hour,¡¨ she chided. ¡§Get up, and be a knight!¡¨
¡§But these are just exercises,¡¨ I whimpered. ¡§When will I get to start the real training?¡¨
Kylaia gave a full-throated laugh. ¡§I get that question from almost every pupil I have,¡¨ she chuckled. ¡§You were bound to ask sometime. You see, exercising is training, in a way. It¡¦s preparing for the real instruction. Without it, you won¡¦t do half as well on the real stuff. Practicing drills is a great way to improve your skills. You¡¦ll be able to throw me in no time¡K or so it will seem.¡¨ (A/N: Sorry, that made absolutely no sense. I got a lot from my swim coach. LOL!)
I nodded and crouched wearily in the fighting stance, getting ready for another beating.
* * *
At supper that night, I decided to confront Jade. I grabbed my meal hurriedly, desperate to reach her before Jeremy came. Plopping my tray beside her, I asked, ¡§Just why are you so mad at me?¡¨
Jade looked up and stared at me. ¡§I¡¦m not mad,¡¨ she informed me finally.
¡§You sure seem like it,¡¨ I snorted, sitting down beside her.
She seemed to study me critically before saying, ¡§I¡¦ve been lying to you all this time.¡¨
I nearly dropped my fork. ¡§What?¡¨
Jade stared past me, nodding her head at someone. I whirled around, and was greeted with the sight of Jeremy sauntering towards our table. I got the hint and went back to eating. As he sat down next to me, she merely glanced at us. Shaking my head, I thought, Maybe her moods can change as quickly as her eye color.
After supper, I followed her back to our room. Shutting the door, I turned to her and asked, ¡§What are you talking about? You lied to me? All this time? What¡K?¡¨
¡§You¡¦ll find out sooner or later,¡¨ Jade responded dully. ¡§I might as well.¡¨
¡§Do tell,¡¨ I insisted.
¡§I¡¦m not from Crystal Ridge. It¡¦s not even a fief. I made it up. I¡¦m a commoner, studying to become a Shang warrior. My parents don¡¦t know. I ran away from home.¡¨ Looking away, she continued, ¡§My real name is Jade Carson, and yes, I am Jocelyn¡¦s sister. She really wasn¡¦t that bad, but¡K She has the Gift, as you know.¡¨ I nodded, and she took a deep breath. ¡§Jocelyn used to¡K well, she¡¦d tease me because I didn¡¦t have it. And she¡¦d ¡V she¡¦d use it on me, when we were alone, and threatened that if I told our parents, she would make me sorry.
¡§I told the first time, when I was four. My parents didn¡¦t believe me, Jocelyn was more important to them than me. She was older and she had the Gift. I was useless, except for marriage. When it came time, I flat-out refused to go to convent school,¡¨ Jade spat. ¡§I wasn¡¦t a bit lady-like anyway. Then Kylaia came through our village, and was mesmerized by the Shang. It was all I could talk about for weeks. The day before I was to go to the convent, I sneaked out and walked all the way here. Kylaia was good to me, and acted as the mother I never really had. I owe her a lot.
¡§The conclusion of all this is¡K Well, I¡¦m afraid of the Gift, I¡¦ve been lying to you, and I¡¦m sorry.¡¨ Jade blushed.
I clasped her warmly on the shoulder. ¡§I understand. It¡¦s just that Jocelyn seemed so nice and¡K I never would have thought she¡¦d do that to you. I¡¦ll try not to use my Gift too much with you around.¡¨ Relief flowed through Jade¡¦s eyes.
¡§You forgive me for being so¡K difficult?¡¨
¡§I know you really like Jeremy,¡¨ I informed slyly.
Jade¡¦s eyes turned a liquidy hazel and widened. ¡§It¡¦s that noticeable?¡¨
¡§Yes.¡¨
She moaned. ¡§I¡¦ll have to find a way to cover it up¡K And Ariel? All those times¡K I think I was jealous. So you do forgive me?¡¨
I stared into her now emerald eyes. ¡§Jade Carson, I do forgive you.¡¨
She laughed in relief. ¡§Thanks so much, Ariel!¡¨ she cried, burying her face in my shoulder. ¡§You¡¦re the best friend anyone could ever have!¡¨
Now was that lame or was that lame? It was lame, I know, don¡¦t rub it in. Review as always, and you get your name posted in my List of Thanks. By the way, does anyone think I¡¦m breaking the Privacy laws or whatever? By doing that? If you don¡¦t want your name posted, put that in your review. And if anyone is pro-K/N like me, tell me in the review, although that has absolutely nothing to do with this story!!! I LOVE KEL AND NEAL!!!! THEY BELONG TOGETHER! YEAH!!!!!! (Ahem.) Cleon people, stay out of this. I hate Cleon. NO OFFENSE, NO OFFENSE, you can review too, but don¡¦t mention POTS, okay? Okay.